Estimated number of people living with HIV/AIDS

In 1999 and during the first quarter of 2000, UNAIDS and WHO
worked closely with national governments and research institutions to
recalculate current estimates on people living with HIV/AIDS. These calculations
are based on the previously published estimates for 1997 and recent trends in
HIV/AIDS surveillance in various populations. A methodology developed in
collaboration with an international group of experts was used to calculate the
new estimates on prevalence and incidence of HIV and AIDS deaths, as well as the
number of children infected through mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
Different approaches were used to estimate HIV prevalence in countries with
low-level, concentrated or generalized epidemics. The current estimates do not
claim to be an exact count of infections. Rather, they use a methodology that
has thus far proved accurate in producing estimates that give a good indication
of the magnitude of the epidemic in individual countries. However, these
estimates are constantly being revised as countries improve their surveillance
systems and collect more information.

Adults in this report are defined as women and men aged 15 to
49. This age range covers people in their most sexually active years. While the
risk of HIV infection obviously continues beyond the age of 50, the vast
majority of those who engage in substantial risk behaviours are likely to be
infected by this age. The 15 to 49 age range was used as the denominator in
calculating adult HIV prevalence.

Estimated number of adults and
children living with HIV/AIDS, end of 1999

These estimates include all people with HIV infection, whether
or not they have developed symptoms of AIDS, alive at the end of 1999:

Adults and children

5400

Adults (15-49)

5200

Adult rate (%)

0.22

Women (15-49)

2600

Children (0-15)

220

Estimated number of deaths due to
AIDS

Estimated number of adults and children who died of AIDS during
1999:

Deaths in 1999

450

Estimated number of orphans

Estimated number of children who have lost their mother or both
parents to AIDS (while they were under the age of 15) since the beginning of the
epidemic:

Cumulative orphans

1100

Estimated number of children who have lost their mother or both
parents to AIDS and who were alive and under age 15 at the end of 1999: